Clover's Luck
by Castiel's Angel 1996
Summary: After being brought up alongside the Dixon brothers, how does Clover fare in the Zombie Apocalypse? Will having Daryl and Merle around be enough to protect her or will she have to be the one to save them?
1. As Time Goes By

**_I had this is my head and just had to get it all out! So, here's a little something!_**

_Four Years Old_

"H-A-T, 'at" the little girl said, spelling the word before trying to pronounce it.

Daryl Dixon shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You have to pronounce the _H_ Clove, Ha-Ha-Hat."

"Ha-Ha-'at" Clove copied, her little eyebrows drawn down. "Ha-Ha-'at. _Ha-Ha-Hat_! I did it Rayl, Ha-Ha-Hat! See, I can do it!"

"Good job, high five, Chip!" Daryl grinned, holding up his hand for the four year old to hit.

Daryl watched as she went back to her little spelling book, spelling out more words before saying them. When she got them wrong, he corrected her. Once she pronounced the word correctly, she would give him a large smile, one of her front teeth missing.

Sitting with a four year old, helping her learn her words, it wasn't strange for him. He'd known the girl since her birth, their fathers being drinking buddies. Being just ten years old, he didn't like the small baby and refused to have any contact with her. He only saw her once or twice after that, until she was three and her mother died. At thirteen, Daryl had to step in and help look after the kid, it was either him taking care of her or the little girl dying; her father didn't care. When he wasn't in Juvie, Daryl's older brother, Merle, would help look after the little girl as well.

Though the two Dixon brothers were known for being the tough bullies in the small town, they acted completely different around Clove. She was a child, innocent against all the things going around her. They knew about her daddy too, he would drink and hit at her, not caring that she was only a little toddler. It was just like what they had to go through.

Sitting in a small clearing in the middle of the forest, with a four year old who was learning her words, was the usual thing for the fourteen year old boy.

_Eight Years Old_

"Daryl! Daryl! Open up! Please, Daryl!" Daryl opened his eyes, hearing Clove's words and the pounding of her fist on the door.

"Clove?!" he got up quickly, nearly running to reach the door and pull it open.

And there she stood, her face covered in tears and her lips trembling. Her body shook but it wasn't from the cold, it was a warm Georgian night. Then he saw it, peaking over the shoulders of her light blue shirt. Blood.

He opened the door wider, stepping to the side to let her in. As she stepped passed, he caught a glimpse of her back. Angry line of blood ripped across the light blue fabric, standing out and screaming for attention. It explained why she was shaking, why she had tears streaming down her face and why she had came to his house.

His house was the only safe place for her to go. As soon as he had turned eighteen, Daryl had brought his own little trailer. It was safe, only for him and her, if needed. None of their dads could come in and hurt them, this was their safe haven.

He had a small little room at the back of the trailer and had made it up for her, when he first moved in. Daryl had wanted her to stay with him but he daddy went mad, threatened to have Daryl arrested for kidnapping. He had to let her go.

She came around often, sleeping there at least once a week. It was the only time she could sleep, knowing she was safe and no one was going to burst into her room and attack her; like what had obviously happened tonight.

Daryl guided her to the small couch, sitting her down and telling her to wait for him. He went into the bathroom which had barely enough room for a toilet, shower and a small sink. Above the sink was a cabinet filled with the wipes he would need to clean her back. He grabbed a box along with bandages and medical tape. Before going back to her, he grabbed a clean top from her supply in her bedroom and a pair of scissors from a draw near the kitchen.

He set everything down on the floor beside the couch, taking a seat behind her. Taking a deep breath, knowing what horror was about to be before him, he carefully put the scissors to the middle of the top and started cutting. Putting the scissors down, he gently pulled the piece of clothing from her skin; it still hurt her though and she gave a small whimper.

He took a deep breath, staring at Clove's back. There were cuts all over it, blood dripping from the wounds. It was obvious that she had been beaten with her father's leather belt. When Daryl was beaten by his father, his wounds also looked like this.

"Stay still, Chip" he said to her, dabbing carefully at the skin using a wipe.

"It hurts" Clove cried, squirming again.  
"I know but it'll hurt even more with you jiggling about" he told her. "Trust me."

She let out a large sigh, fighting to hold still while he cleaned her back. "Is it really bad?"

"Nah, its fine" he lied, even though he worried over the blood. "Ya gonna have scars though..."

"That's what daddy wanted" she whispered. "He said I was getting too pretty, like mama used to be. He said the scars would scare the boys away and I'll be able to stay with him forever."

Daryl didn't say anything, just shook his head and sighed.

"I don't wanna stay there forever Daryl" Clove told him, turning to look at his face. "You and Merle have to take me away. We could go like in a castle, I can be a princess and you and Merle can be the knights who look after me."

"I'll get you out of there one day, Clover, I will, I promise" he told her. "But I can't yet. I could get in a lot of trouble, be taken away from a long time."

She sighed, turning back around to let him carry on treating her back. "I wish you and Merle could take me away. I don't like daddy."

_Eleven Years Old_

"Come on, you're eleven now" Merle said, leading the way into the woods. "Time to grow a pair and stop whining."

"But I can't grow a pair, Merle, I'm a girl" she smiled back at him.

"Shut up" he snapped at her, giving her a glare which she only laughed at.

"I don't wanna learn how to shot the cross bow" Clove told him, kicking at the forest ground. "I don't want to be like Daryl."

"What's wrong with being like me?!" Daryl asked, offended as he looked down at her.

"Your bossy, and annoying" she replied, turning back to Merle. "I wanna do something cool, like you. I wanna throw knives too!"

Merle wasn't looking at Clover though, but was instead looking over the top of her head. He gave Daryl a smirk, raising and eyebrow at him. Merle had taken over as Clove's favourite person, officially. Over the past two weeks, she had been following him around and trying to copy him, only paying a minimal amount of attention to Daryl.

Daryl glared back at his older brother, jealous that he had been knocked down a place on her list of favourite people. He was used to having all her attention, having her look up to him. He used to be the one that Clove wanted to be like.

"Merle" Clove tugged on his hand, gaining his attention again. "I wanna learn how to throw knives."

"Sure thing, sweetheart" he smiled at her.

_Fourteen Years Old_

Clove laid on Daryl's bed, flipping a knife in her hand. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about throwing a knife into it. Daryl would get mad though and take her knives away...again. She'd had her knives taken move than three times over the past couple of years, by both Daryl and Merle.

"Luke Turner tried to kiss me today" Clove said casually, turning the knife over.

"What?!" Daryl asked, removing the towel away from his head in able to look over at her properly.

"Yeah, in the playground" she told him. "In front of everyone."

"Did you kiss him back?" Daryl inquired, turning to face her properly. "You're too young to have a boyfriend."

"Are you deaf?! I said he _tried_" she rolled her eyes. "I hit him."

_Sixteen Years Old_

"Do I look okay?" Clove asked, fiddling with her hair.

"You look fine" Daryl grumbled back, not even turning to look at her.

Merle rolled him eyes, smirking at him brother before turning to Clove. "You look great, sweetheart."

"Daryl? What do you think?" Clove's voice shook slightly, her nerves showing. "And look at me this time, you haven't got eyes in the back of your head."

Sighing, Daryl turned his head to look at her. His jaw clenched as he took in her appearance. Her brown hair hang over her chest, straight as a ruler. Her grey eyes were clear and framed with long, dark lashes with winged eye liner. She wore a tight, long sleeved blue dress which fell to mid-thigh, showing off her long legs; a black bow belt around her waist. Her black heels added to help make her legs longer. In her hand was a small, black, clutch bag.

Daryl throat got dryer, she looked beautiful. "You look good. Don't get why you're dressing up for him though."  
"Its a date Daryl, girls are meant to dress up" Merle laughed.

"Okay, well, I've got to go. I said I'll meet him at the end of the road" she turned for the door. "See you guys later."  
"Tell David we said hi!" Merle called after her.

_Seventeen Years Old_

Daryl held Clove against him, feeling helpless and unsure as she cried into his shoulder. This was the most physical contact he had engaged in...ever. When she was little, she would hold Daryl's hand but that stopped when she turned ten. They would hug when they saw each other, that stopped not long after her fifteenth birthday. Their contact had become less and less, and now this was strange for him.

"It was all just some stupid joke!" she cried. "He was dared to go out with me. I caught him being given the money and he just told me that our relationship wasn't real. That I was ugly and white trash, no one would want me."

Daryl's arms tightened around her, his blood pulsing in anger. How could someone say that to her?! She was perfect. She was beautiful, smart...She wasn't trash at all.

"He's right. No one will ever love me" she cried.

He didn't say anything, just held her close. He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down some. It wasn't long until Merle walked in, having left when Clove had first told them what happened. "Where have ya been?"

Merle shrugged. "Sorted him out.

_Eighteen Years Old_

Clove rushed into the trailer, the biggest smile on her face. Her eyes shone with happiness and pride. Her hair, tied in a messy plait, bobbed against her chest ad she breathed heavily. Daryl sat on his couch, waiting for her to get her breath back as he flicked through the channels on the TV.

"You...or Merle..." Clove gasped.

"Merle's gone back to the cage" Daryl told her, taking a sip of lukewarm beer. "Went this morning."

"What?" the smile fell from her face, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Sorry, Chip" he sighed. He was quiet for another few minutes. "What got you so excited?"

"I...I won some prom tickets and vouchers" she told him. "I can afford a dress now, a pair of shoes too. I... I was going to ask if you or Merle would take me to prom."

"I ain't going to no lame dance" his voice was hard and disgusted at the suggestion.

Clove sighed, walking over to sit on the couch besides him. She dropped the envelope onto the small coffee table, leaning back against the plush cushions. She knew he would say know, she knew Merle would say no if he were here. With Merle though, she could easily just persuade him, Daryl was a little more difficult.

"That's what I thought you would say" Clove grumbled. "This is my one chance at going to a school dance and you won't even take me. Its not fair, Merle would have."  
"I don't care what Merle would have done, he's not here" Daryl snapped. "Quiet ya whining. Its just a stupid dance. Go with one of your friends."  
"You and Merle are my only friends..." her voice was low with embarrassment, realising how pathetic that sounded.

"Go by yourself then" he shrugged. "I ain't taking ya to no dance."

_Eighteen Years Old_

Clove looked beautiful, no one at the prom could deny that. She wore a strapless cream dress, the waist upwards decorated with sparkling glitter. The glitter what a little bit down the flowing dress which was floor length; it was a big puffy one but it still still flowed well. Her silver gem encrusted heels added to her hight but were invisible under the long skirt of the dress. Her long brown hair fell in loose curls over her chest; she had never looked beautiful in her life.

Though everyone agreed about her appearance, no one asked her to dance. She was the weird girl. She lived in a trailer with one her of best-friends, who was a guy, and her other best-friend was a druggie who liked to beat anyone who hurt her up. And so she sat a little round table, alone, watching as her classmates laughed and danced.

Maybe she shouldn't have gone to the dance, maybe it was a mistake. It was obvious that she would either sit at the little table all night or dance alone. She didn't really want to do either. She wanted to go home. She stood up, turning to the entrance of the dance hall and froze.

Clove watched as Daryl walked in, shocked. He wore a suit, something she had never seen in her life. His bow tie was a little wonky but it was to be expected from him. By the expression on his face, Clove could tell he was both nervous and annoyed and she couldn't help but smile.

His eyes scanned the room, stopping when they rested on her. They widened, seeing her in her prom outfit for the first time. She was a woman now, a breathtaking woman. He let a small smile show as he walked towards her, one hand in his pants pocket as he fiddled with something.

"You came" Clove said, pure joy lacing her words.

"Couldn't leave you to the sharks" Daryl told her, glancing around before looking back at her. "You don't look to bad, Chip."

"Neither do you" she smirked. "Merle's?"

Daryl looked down at the suit he was wearing. "Yeah, he has a few for court. Thought I would take one for the night." his hand came out of his pocket, a small box twiddled in fingers, "I got ya something."

Clove grinned when she saw the little box, "Show me!"

He lifted it up so she could see it properly before opening it. On a plush black cushion sat a beautiful necklace. A silver heart hung from a matching, thin, silver chain. The heart was see through and hollow, yet the view was stopped by the swirls going across the middle of it.

Clover couldn't believe her eyes, it was breathtaking. She had never seen a piece of jewellery before, never mind something as perfect and beautiful as the necklace before her. Her mouth hanging open, she looked at Daryl in shock.

"Do you like it?" He asked, nerves clouding his voice. "I can take it back if you don't, get ya something different if ya want."

Clove through her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him in a tight hug. "I love it!"

Daryl sighed, "Good. Ya had me worried for a second."

She let go and turned her back to him, moving her hair out of the way. "Put it on for me?"

Daryl carefully removed the necklace from its holder, dropping the empty box onto the table. He looped it around her neck, letting the heart drop down onto her chest. He clasped it and put it down to rest, his fingers ghosting over her soft skin.

Clove turned back to face him, fingers touching the necklace gently. "Thank you, Daryl." She said before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Daryl dropped his gaze, his face beginning to heat with embarrassment. "Yeah, whatever."

_Nineteen Years Old_

"Hey, Chip, do you-" Daryl cut off, his mouth dropping open. "What the hell!"

"Daryl!" Clove shrieked.

"Dude, get out!" the other bloke snapped.

Daryl quickly left the room, moving to his own instead. He should have knocked, should have thought. But he wasn't used to knocking though, he usually just walked in the room when he wanted to talk to her. And, normally, she was reading or doing some school work...not that!

Daryl's eyes burned. He couldn't get the image of Clove naked from his mind. Her pale skin glowed in the faint bedroom light. She was skinny and short in height, yet her body was one a man would drool over. Her breast were full and plump, her ass round and firm.

He didn't expect to walk into her room and find her standing in front of some guy, completely undressed. He didn't expect to walk in right as they were about to have sex! And she still had the necklace on, the one he had brought her a few months ago for prom. She was going to have sex with some stranger while wearing soothing he had brought her?! Ew, gross!

The image of Clove's body entered his mind again and he could feel his trousers becoming tighter. Oh god, this was bad, so fucking bad! He had known her through the whole of her life. Helped look after her when she was young. They were best-friends, he couldn't think about her in that way.

There was a knock on the door but he just ignored it, keeping his eyes closed as he laid back on the bed. He heard the door click open before shutting again and he opened his eyes. Clove stood just in front of the closed door, her head down and she was fully dressed.

"What?" he snapped, his voice harder than he meant it to be.

"You should have knocked" Clove told him.

"Its my damn house, I shouldn't have to know. Besides, how was I supposed to know you were whoring yourself out" he said.

She flinched. "I'm not a whore Daryl. He would have been the second guy, you've slept with loads of other women. And you should knock, that was my room you barged into."

"Yeah, and you just walked into mine without permission" he pointed out. "Now get out of here, you're fucking disgusting."

"Daryl..." Clove's voice broke, shaking with sadness.

"Go!" he shouted at her.

She rushed out of the room, closing his bedroom door behind her. A few seconds later, he heard the front door slam shut as she left the little trailer...

_Twenty-three Years Old_

"Where's Chip?" Merle asked, settling himself onto the couch with a cool beer.

"Not 'ere" Daryl shrugged.

"Typical. Just get out after a five year sentence and she decides to go partying" Merle shook his head. "When she gonna be back."

"Don't know, she don't live here any more" the younger Dixon told him. "Moved out a couple of years ago, haven't spoken to her since."

"What?!" Merle asked in disbelief, looking at his younger brother.

"Got into a fight one night...Woke up the next morning to find all her stuff gone" Daryl replied. "No idea where she went."

_Twenty-three Years Old_

Clove sat in her little home. Everything was crammed into two rooms. One room held the contents of a bedroom, living room and a kitchen, the other room was a bathroom which was smaller than the one she used to have in the trailer. She hated it all.

Her chest ached as she thought about the date. Tomorrow would be Daryl's birthday, the fourth one she will have missed. She was a terrible friend. Leaving without a word just because of some stupid fight.

Well, this year, there would be something a little different. She would go to his trailer, leave something for him. She had made a small bracelet of leather for him, knowing he would only wear it if it was 'manly'. It lay wrapped in a small plastic bag on her lap, ready for her to leave it on his doorstep.

Clove knew that he thought she had moved far away, to another town or something. He was wrong though. She lived in the forest, a small twenty minute walk from his trailer. She had found it, abandoned, the night she had walked out on him and had claimed it as her own.

She got a little piece of paper and a black pen.

_Happy Birthday Daryl,_

_-Chip x_

Using some sticky tape, she attached it to the small package. She left her small home, walked towards his house. There's a light on in the trailer and she could hear the TV. Clove put the gift on the step just outside the door before knocking. She quickly run back to the forest, hiding behind the tree to watch and see if he comes out.

Daryl opens the door and frowns as he sees no one outside. Just as he moves to go back inside, he sees the little gift. He bends down and picks on up, pulling the note from the little package. He reads it, a small smile taking over his face.

"Where are ya Chip?" Clove heard him ask, looking around. She took a step back, trying to move silently away but she steps on a twig. Daryl hears the snap and his eyes widen when they see her. "Clover!"

He jumps from the trailer, running straight for her. She don't bother with trying to run, like she wants to, she knows he'll catch her easily. Clove kept her head down, looking at the tips of her boots as a fair of strong arms wrapped around her.

Daryl hugged Clove to his chest, holding her tight and fearing to let her go. She buried her head in his neck, linking her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Shush, its okay now" he kissed the top of her head.

_Twenty-five Years Old_

"Get ya stuff, we're leaving" Merle said as he entered the trailer, Daryl just behind him.

"What?" Clove asked, turning away from the TV where she had been watching the news.

"Those things have made it to town, heck, Mrs Jane across the road was one of 'em" Dare replied, pointing in the direction of the old woman's home. "Go get ya bag, some knives."

Clove ran to her small bedroom, already pulling her top off. She had moved back to the trailer only a few months ago, wanting to be closer to the bothers again. She supposed it was a good thing, what will this new illness going around. It had been on TV the past week or two, people eating each other. If someone got bit, they died...then came back to eat other.

She changed into a black vest top and black skinny jeans, pulling her black hunting boots on and her favourite leather jacket. She strapped a holder of three throwing knives to her left leg, putting a holder of two on her left arm. A good number more of her throwing knives were attached to her belt, along with a hunting knife. She grabbed a leather backpack and filled it with clothes. She got her other leather traveller bag, taking it to the kitchen and filling it with any tins of food or any crackers she could find.

She went to leave the trailer, seeing the Dixon's in the truck already; Merle's bike in the bed. She stopped, hand flying to her chest. When her fingers made contact with the heart necklace Daryl had brought her, she stepped out of the trailer and shut the door.

Clove dropped her bags into the back before going around to the passengers side. She climbed over Daryl's lap, moving to sit in the middle of the brothers. When she glanced down, she could see Daryl's crossbow beside his feet with at least a dozen arrows...

"Where are we going?" Clove asked, looking at Merle as he started up the truck.

"Atlanta" he replied gruffly, beginning to drive through the town.

"Atlanta?!" she groaned, that was so far away.

"Better settle down for the ride, Chip, its gonna be a long one" Daryl said, looking out of the window.

_**There isn't meant to be a father-daughter bond between Daryl and Clove, they're more like best-friends.**_

_**This could be a one-shot. She might die before the Dixons meet the Atlanta group and that's why they're so mean and rude.**_

_**Or, I could continue it but I don't know. **_

_**I have a link for pictures, its on my profile - got take a look!**_

_**Don't forget to review, thanks!**_


	2. Anti-Bacterial Gel

**Thank you for the reviews! Because of them, I have decided to carry on this fanfic. **

**I have a few too many ideas so please go vote on my profile for you want. **

Clove sat between the two brothers, her legs across Merle's lap and her back pressed against Daryl's side. She held her hunting knife in her right hand, the pad of her left thumb ghosting over the tip. The pain in her stomach increased and she fidgeted uneasily.

"Merle, can we pull over? I need to use the bathroom" Clove said, her voice strained.

"Ya gonna have to wait, I want to get far before the sun sets" he told her.

"Mer, please. I'll sit on you and piss if you don't stop the car" she warned.

Daryl chuckled, looking over to his brother. "Ya want some new perfume?"

"Ya meant to be adults, not fucking five year olds" the older Dixon snapped, pulling into an upcoming driveway.

"But Merle, five year olds don't know how to fuck" Clove said innocently, looking at Merle in confusion.

Without a word, he turned the engine off and climbed from the truck with a frown. Clove giggled to herself as she watched him walk away in annoyance. She'd be lying if she said she didn't love to annoy him. She used to always do it as a child, knowing he would never be able to truly stay mad at her for long.

Clove climbed out of the truck, walking the opposite way from Merle and towards the little gas station. A car was parked not far from the door but looked completely empty. She pulled the door to the gas station open, making the little belle jingle.

She walked towards the back where she could see the sign for the toilets; she could only hope they were clean. She'd had to use many dirty bathrooms in her small life and she really didn't want to have to put up with one right then. Though, with the way her stomach hurt, she'd settle for anything.

The bathroom was dirty and Clove had to admit that it freaked her out a bit. The mirror above the sink was broken, blood at the centre of the crack. There were also a few bloody hand prints of the walls and a blood streak on the floor.

Clove had hunted animals before, killed and gutted them. The blood and guts meant nothing to her now, she was used to it due to growing up around the Dixon brothers. The sight of this blood though, knowing it was human, it made her uneasy.

Trying to ignore the sights, she quickly relieved herself. When she turned the tap, no water flowed into the sink. She turned it off before turning it on again. Nothing happened, the water had been turned off.

Feeling gross, she left the bathroom. She'd been to this gas station before, a long time ago, and knew they had anti-bacterial gel. She went to the counter. It was a mess, papers lay on top of it, there was dried blood holding them down. The small stand of candy bars on the counter was on its side, the contents haven fallen even onto the floor or somewhere else.

Picking up one of the larger candy bars and began to use it to push at the papers. She lifted a paper up and saw a bottle of blue liquid. She grabbed for it, knowing it to be the gel she was looking for. Anti-bacterial gel was the next best thing if you could properly wash your hands.

Clove jumped when a hand landed on top of hers, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. She pulled her hand away, taking a few stumbling steps backwards. She heard the grunts from behind the counter, the sounds of someone struggling to stand up.

"Hey, you okay back there?" Clove asked, leaning forward on her tip-toes but refusing to take a step forward.

"Errrg-urm-ee" the grumbles came again.

She watched as a head made an appearance as the person behind the counter began to stand up. Her eyes widened, a hand flying to cover her mouth. The skin on the lower half of its jaw was missing, revealing bloody tissue and even bone. The skin over its right cheekbone was gone too. The rest of its skin was pale, apart from the areas covered in blood.

It made its way around the counter and stumbled towards her, bloody arms outstretched to grab her. Her hand flew to her right leg, ready to grab one of her knives before remembering she had strapped them to her left leg. She grabbed two from her waist instead.

She held it in her right hand, the point of the blade pressing into the life line on her palm while lining up with her middle finger, her thumb crossing over the blade to hold it. It was an impulsive way of holding it, an instinct after years of using them. She quickly lifted her arm up from where it had been by her side, releasing it and letting it sail towards her target.

The blade buried itself into the man's chest. She waited for a second, expecting him to fall. Blood surrounded the knife but he still stumbled towards her. Clove held the tip of her next knife between her thumb and forefinger, her preferred way of throwing it. She stepped into the over-the-shoulder throw and watched as the knife hit the man in the neck.

He still reached for her though, the knives having not put him down like it would a normal person. She grabbed the man's wrists and he reached her, holding him away. He was strong, much stronger than he looked and stronger than her.

She stumbled back a step, tripping over something on the ground. She fell backwards, screaming as the man fell with her. They pushed at each other, the man trying to put his mouth to her neck while Clove tried to hold him off.

"Clove!" She heard Merle call at the same time Daryl shouted 'Chip!'.

"Help! Help!" she screamed, her arms losing strength and the man got closer to her throat.

Clove could hear their shouts and pounding of their feed as they ran towards her. She prayed, though she had never been religious, that they would hurry up. Her arms shook with effort and she knew she would only be able to last for a few more seconds.

The man was pulled off her and thrown backwards. A pair of arms pulled her up, dragging her backwards. She watched as Daryl took out his own hunting knife, lunging forward and stabbing the man in the head. As he collapsed to the floor, Clove turned around and buried her head in Merle's chest, arms linking around his waist.

Merle wrapped his arms awkwardly around her shoulders, patting her head in hopes of being somewhat comforting. He wasn't the hugging type of person, never had been. Men didn't hug. Hugging required emotion and emotions were weaknesses.

Clove felt the tugging on her belts and knew Daryl was putting her knives back. After releasing Merle, she turned and hugged Daryl before leaving the station; bottle of anti-bacterial gel laying forgotten on the floor.

She walked towards the truck, stopping just before climbing in. she took the holder of knives from her left leg, moving them to her right. She wasn't a huge fan of throwing with her left hand. She could throw with it, without a problem but her right hand was always her favourite.

"You gotta aim for the head" Daryl said from behind her, waiting for her to climb into the truck. "Its the only way to put them down."

"What are they?" Clove couldn't help but ask, shaking her head. "The news didn't actually tell us anything. Only that people were getting sick, eating each other."

"They're zombies" Merle replied, shrugging. "They get the fever, die and then come back. Ya never seen a zombie film, girl? Gotta get the head to kill 'em."

He started the truck, pulling away from the station and going back onto the road. They drove in silence, each listening to their own thoughts and ignoring the others.

Clove was stuck thinking about what could have happened. She could have been dead. She could have been lying on the floor, her throat ripped out and her blood on the floor surrounding her. She wasn't one of those crazy people who were full of life but she didn't want to die, especially not like that.

Daryl felt guilty. He should have told her about the zombie-like thing, told her how to kill them if she needed too. He should have went into the station before her, made a sweep of the place and made sure it was safe. She could have died just them. He couldn't stop imagining it: Clove lying on the floor with her throat bitten out, blood surrounding her as the zombie chewed its way through her ripped open stomach... She could have died, and it would have been his fault.

Merle was just pissed. With this new zombie apocalypses, how was he going to get his drugs? He would bet his soul that most, if not all, of his suppliers were dead. He would be able to actually make or grow some himself, do you know how much effort that took?! And the women! Most women were useless and defenceless, they wouldn't be able to protect themselves, even if they know how to kill one of those things. Unlike Clove, they would be too scared to even try. Loads of women were probably dead, meaning loads of sex was out of the question. He couldn't fuck Clove, she always seemed to sweet and innocent to him... though he knew she defiantly wasn't. And cigarettes! How would he get those?!

"Thank you" Clove suddenly whispered, seeming embarrassed. "For saving me."

"Shut up, princess" Merle grumbled, still pissed.

**There will be no chapter 3 until I have a rough idea of what you want me to do.**

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	3. Annie's Hero

**Right, now that I know when the Atlanta group is joining in, I can write again! Sorry for the wait!**

**Enjoy**

Clove hated the new world and she hadn't even been living in it for forty-eight hours yet. The trio had come across a few of those dead things, walking around in the middle of the street. They turned when they heard the car, stumbling forward with their arms out to grab at the vehicle. Merle mostly ignored them, though he swerved to hit a certain one.

"Knew him in jail" Merle said in way of explanation, shrugging as if it was no big deal.

And it probably wasn't, for him. Knowing Merle, it wasn't a risk to say he had many enemies while in the cage. He always wanted to be the top dog, the one who was most respected and always got their way. Its just the way he is.

"Do you think there are any survivors waiting in Atlanta?" Clove asked, her voice quiet.

"Course sweetheart, why wouldn't there be?" Merle replied, as if the answer were obvious.

"Well, its a city... infection would spread faster than your legs. With the amount of people there, any survivors would be dead in a matter of a few minutes" she shrugged.

"Ha, you're right about one thing" he snorted, shaking his balding head.

"Your legs spread easier than butter... and that's saying something" she smiled. "Speaking of which, we should get more food."

"How'd we get on to the topic of food from sex?" Daryl mumbled, confused.

"Oh honey, if the sex was _really_ good, you'd be starving afterwards" she informed him.

"Oh, that's why they always raid the fridge" he nods to himself.

"Not a good lay? I know the feeling. They just don't know how to use it" Clove shook her head with a sigh.

They fell back into silence, all stuck in their own thoughts. Daryl could help but think of Clove, naked and laid underneath him as his kissed her pale neck. He could just imagine her moaning in his ear, fingers tangled in his hair. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd have to raid the cupboard after a round with her.

Obvious to Daryl's thoughts, Clove looked over the map which sat in her lap. She found their home town and the road they had left on. Her finger travelled along the road, following their route. Her finger hesitated a little when she came across the gas station, the place where she had first encountered a walker. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Okay, there's a Walmart a mile ahead. We can stop there" Clove said, finding the place on the map.

"Oh, can we now?" Merle said, glancing at her.

"Yes, Merle. I wear the pants in this fucking relationship" she snapped.

Daryl smirked, glancing at his older brother. "Ha."

"You can be quiet too, Daryl" Clove commanded, giving him a stern look.

The Walmart looked completely bare, save from the trolleys and baskets littering the car park. No cars stood around with their doors open, which was a large surprise for the trio. The doors to the store still looked intact and untouched. Had no one thought to raid the place yet? What idiots.

Merle parked the car in front of the door, enabling for a quick get away if needed. They climbed from the truck and Clove pulled out a few of her knives. Merle pulled on the door handle and then pushed, its didn't open.

"Its fucking locked. Wait 'ere, I'll get a trolley" He said, turning to walk away.

"No, that'll make to much noise. I'll handle this" Clove told him.

Quickly tucking the two knives into her back pocket, Daryl watched Clove started to search through the pockets of her leather jacket. One of his eyebrows lifted when her saw the Jackknife Lock Pick Set in her hand. She flipped through the choices until she found the one she wanted. She slid it into the lock before sliding a small rod of metal, which was part of the set, into the lock as well. Daryl watched as she jimmied it about before a loud, yet soft, click could be heard as she unlocked the door.

Retracting her tools, she put them back inside her jacket pocket and took her throwing knives into her hands again. Daryl had never taught her to do that and he was pretty certain Merle hadn't either. Clove gave the brothers a quick look before slowly opening the door of the store.

From what she could see, it was empty. She hesitantly took a step in, her heart racing as she held her breath. Though she was pretty sure there were no walkers inside, she wasn't willing to take the chance.

She looked around, twirling on the spot. There was no movement, no sounds but it smelt; that could have been the rotten meat the store used to provide though. The stock appeared to be untouched and she gratefully let out her breath. They should be able to get the stuff they need.

"Okay, we split up. Grab anything useful and put it in the truck" Merle ordered. "I'll look for weapons, Clo looks for food and Daryl looks for any tents or anything."

"Yes, sir!" Clove gave a mock salute.

Walking off to the isle where the sign indicated the tinned goods to be, she didn't see the glare Merle sent her. She stopped to grab a few carrier bags before heading down the isle, knowing she wouldn't be able to carry it all with just her hands.

Clove smiled at the sight of all the tinned food. Perfect. Sliding her arm down the shelf, she grabbed the furthest tin she could reach. Making sure the bag was open, she brought her arm forwards for the many tins of beans to fall into. Getting another bag, she done the same for the soup. She repeated the process for the spaghetti and tinned tuna.

Carrying the bags along with her, she walked to the pasta isle. She managed to fill two bags up with the many different kinds of pasta available. Struggling, she managed to make it to the closest isle to the front of the store which contained bottled drinks and chips. Of course, she got a carrier bag full of the potato chips and two bags full of the bottle drinks.

"Hey, Merle, could you help me with these?" she asked as she watched someone enter through the door. She couldn't see the face, the sun was behind them but the person was more Merle's height than the younger Dixon brother. "Merle? Jesus!"

She could see the person now and it wasn't any of the Dixon brothers. Clove hadn't been alone with a walker since the gas station, hadn't been near one since. She felt the bile rising in her throat at its appearance. Blood dripped from its mouth, running down its mouth and other its bare chest. Its bottom lip was missing, allowing her to see its gum and some muscle.

"Shit!" she hissed, letting go of the bags and backing up slightly. She grabbed for one of her knives, accepting the fact that she would need to put it down herself.

"Ugh-erg-uh" the noises of the walkers hit her ears. There were more walkers outside that door and she watched as another pushed through the door, also catching sight of her.

"Shit!" she gasped.

Thanking the Dixon brothers for turning her into an instinctual hunter, Clove darted down a near by isle of silent feet. If there was just one thing she knew how to do, it was be quiet. With the training the brothers had given her, she knew there were a lot more than just two; probably five at the very least. She wouldn't be able to take them out all at once.

She ran silently down the hallways, hoping that she would lose the first two walkers and would be able to circle back. She'd never been in this Walmart before though and it was like one giant maze for her. She wasn't going to get anywhere like this.

She stopped running, grabbing as many of her knives as she could hold. The grumblings of the walkers were quiet loud and she was sure the brothers knew of the situation. Clove knew they'd be fine though, only a Dixon can kill a Dixon; that was common knowledge.

Catching her breath back, she slowly made her way back the way she had come until a walker came into sight. It was the first one and its buddy didn't appear to be with it. She held one of the knives in her right hand, the point of the blade pressing into the life line on her palm while lining up with her middle finger, her thumb crossing over the blade to hold it. She needed to hit its head.

Clove took a deep breath, steadying herself and the walker stumbled closer towards her. Counting to three in her head, she brought her arm up and released her hold on the knife. It sailed forward, flipping through the air before the blade embedded itself in the walker's forehead. Letting out one last gargle, in fell to its knees before collapsing to the ground.

She had done it, she had killed her very first walker. Though it was the body of a human, Clove couldn't bring herself to be upset. She had just saved herself and others from the jaws of that particular one; that had to be something to be proud of.

Clove carried on making her way back, taking reassurance in the fact she would be able to run if needs be. As she walked, she heard the faint _thump_ of a body hitting the ground and her chest tightened slightly. No, it wouldn't be one of them, they would have went down shouting at the ass-hole.

Another walker rounded the corner of a stand and Clove didn't hesitate at throwing her knife. Just like she did with her first one, she pulled the knife out and wiped it on the walkers pants. Positioning her weapon, she carried on towards the front of the store. There shouldn't be many walkers about, not if the brothers were taking them out with her.

Clove stopped dead in her tracks as a scream pierced through the air. The voice was obviously female, she could tell that much; no man's voice could reach that height. There was someone else in the store and a walker must have stumbled upon them.

"Chip" She heard Daryl shout as she began to run towards the location of the scream.

"I'm fine" she called back. "Wasn't me."

She knew it was stupid to reply and possibly draw the walkers towards her, but she had to let Daryl know that she was okay. They could have just left then, while the walkers were distracted but then, that would have been on their conscious for the rest of their lives.

Clove saw the Daryl at the end of the new isle she had ran into. Separating them were a bunch of four walkers who stood trying to reach a black woman. The woman was backed against one of the stands, using a chair to try and hold the walkers off. Glancing back a Daryl, they gave each other a quick nod.

She lifted her arm up, direction the knife to the walker closest to the woman. It lodged into its head and if collapsed towards the woman. With a strained faced, she pushed it away using the chair. Daryl implanted an arrow into another walker's head and it too collapsed to the floor.

Getting their weapons ready, the pair took the remaining walkers out at the same time. The woman, still holding the chair, shuddered and stepped closer towards Clove. Rolling her eyes, Clove walked to the dead bodies and collected her knives. They weren't going to turn around and get the woman, they were officially, properly, dead.

"What's your name?" Clove asked, turning towards the woman.

"Annie" the woman replied, still looking at the bodies.

"'er wrist" Daryl's voice hissed in her ear.

Clove's eyes zeroed in on the woman's wrist. It was partly hidden by her sleeve but they could still see the blood. "What happened to your wrist?"

"I fell" Annie shrugged. "Cut it on some metal. Its okay."

"Show us" Daryl ordered, unconsciously positioning himself in front of Clove.

"Hey, ya'll, what's up with all the yellin'?" Merle called, walking down towards them.

Clove rolled her eyes at him, who was yelling now? The idiot. Giving Annie a dirty look, he took his place besides his brother. Merle had heard Daryl order and the Dixon brothers and Clove stared the woman down into submission.

Biting her lip, Annie rolled up the sleeve of her right arm. Though blood covered most of her forearm, the cause was clear. She had been lying, she was bit. The bite mark was ugly. It was bright red, visible through the blood even, and they could see some black goo and white-yellow puss.

"Dumb bitch" Merle snorted, shaking his head. "Did ya forget the one rule, don't get bit?"

"It sneaked up on me" Annie shrugged. "It just looks horrible, I don't feel any different though. There's no pain and I don't feel life eating any of you."

"Yeah, right now you feel fine. Give it an hour and you could be chewing our faces off" Daryl said.

"Guys, back off" Clove said, pushing past them to stand besides Annie. "She said she felt fine. It'll be okay."

"Clo-" Daryl started, reaching towards her.

"Trust me," she pulled back. She pointed to the side. "Oh, look at that, we could take that with us."

Annie turned to look at what Clove had pointed at. As she did, Clove forced her hunting knife into the woman's skull' trying to be as quick as possible. Annie fell to the floor, eyes wide but unseeing as blood pooled out of the hole in the back of her head.

Clove looked back at the brothers. "It had to be done, this was the right way. She didn't know and she didn't feel anything."

"Lets go, I think we all dropped our stuff at the front of the store" Merle said, looking at Annie's body once before walking away.

"I...If...It would have been painful, to die from the bite" Clove said as her eyes burned. "I thought..."

"Chip... you did the right thing. You saved us...and her" Daryl said before patting her shoulder lightly and walking away.

The trio collected their dropped findings and headed back to the truck. Putting their newly found goods in the bed of the truck with Merle's bike, they took one last look at the Waltmarts before getting into the truck and pulling away.

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	4. Beating The Silence

**Thanks to everyone who has favourited and followed!**

**Warning, this kind jumps to different points of view!**

The sun shone through the windscreen, and, being in the middle of the cab, Clove got the full beam of the sunlight in her eyes. The windows were open, a cool breeze being created as Merle drove towards Atlanta City. They were close now, it should only take a few more hours.

The trio hadn't spoken since yesterday, when they were at Walmart. Clove wasn't sure that she had done the right thing any more. Maybe Annie would have lived. Her body could have fought of the infection, she could have gotten better. Clove took that chance away from her though.

Clove looked down at her hands, with disappointment. She couldn't help but wonder if she would have done done something differently ,if she could. Maybe she should have given Annie a chance, just sat her in the bed of the truck – there wouldn't have been enough room in the cab anyway. But then again, in every zombie movie she had seen, if a person got bit that meant they would die and become one of those things. At the time, she just acted on instinct.

"I'm sorry for what I did" Clove whispered into the silent cab of the truck, knowing the brothers would hear her. "I just didn't want her to turn while we weren't looking, didn't want her to kill us."

Neither of them said anything, just kept looking forward. She was pretty sure they were somewhat annoyed with her; she had taken a woman's life without knowing all the facts.

Looking at her hands, her eye caught on the little moon tattoo. It was on the space between her thumb a forefinger, where their bones would meet. She glanced at Daryl's right hand and saw his matching tattoo; a small star in the same place.

Clove remember talking him into it, telling him it was in the best-friend guide book. He didn't want the star, she remembered that clearly. But she had reminded him that she was his star and he was her moon. They had to have matching tattoos, all best-friends had matching tattoos.

Merle didn't have a matching tattoo though. The main reason was because he was in jail at the time but, also, he wouldn't have gone near the tattoo parlour. If you told him that you wanted a matching tattoo, he would laugh in your face, tell you no with a straight face and then hurry off in the other direction so you couldn't force him. Or, at least, that's what he would do to Clove. She had tried it one before.

Clove sighed, looking up from her hands. The hours could past quick enough. They had been travelling for nearly a week and a half, avoiding the walkers and abandoned cars had taken a long time. Most of the main roads were full of cars which people had left, some with the doors just hanging wide open.

"Have you got anything I can sharpen my knife with?" Clove sighed, looking towards Daryl expectantly.

He shook his head, not even glancing at her.

"Are ya gonna give me the silent treatment forever?" she asked as she looked between the brothers. "I said I was sorry."

"You killed someone Clover" Daryl said, shaking his head.

"She was bit! She was going to die painfully, I just put her out of her future misery" she told him. "I just thought it was the best thing to do."

"But it wasn't your decision. She didn't wanna die. We could have left her there..." he sighed.

"Its just hard ta think ya would do somethin' like tha'" Merle put in.

They were disappointed, shocked that she would do something like that. Daryl wouldn't have been shocked of Merle if he had done it but Clove... Daryl remembered the first time she killed an animal, she cried for at least an hour, apologizing over and over again. She didn't even think twice before killing Annie, a _human_.

Its not the fact that she had kill her, its the fact that Clove was the one to do it. Daryl understood that it was all about survival, he knew that but still. Killing animals is different to killing walkers and killing walkers is different to killing living humans.

"Pull over" Clove said, her voice quiet.

"We stopped a few hours ago, ya can hold ya piss a little longer" Merle said, not slowing down.

"Please Merle...just pull over for a sec" she sighed.

_They didn't trust her, they would never trust her._ That's all that was running through her head and she stared ahead. There were no walkers on this stretch of the highway, something she was grateful for; she didn't think she would have been able to handle them at that minute.

Merle reluctantly pulled the truck over to the edge of the road, letting it roll to a stop. Daryl was the one to get out, knowing his brother wouldn't want to move his fat ass. Clove slid out after him, keeping her eyes down as her fingers fiddled with the knives that covered her body.

Without looking at him, she walked to Merle's side of the truck, reaching into the truck bed. Daryl watched in confusion as she pulled her bag out, grabbing a few cans of food and three water bottles, stuffing them in her bag. She heaved the bag onto her shoulders before she finally looked up to him.

"What ya doing?" Daryl asked, his eyebrows pulled down in confusion.

"You... you guys don't trust me..." Clove replied, shrugging. "What's the point of travelling with someone you don't trust?"

"Don't be stupid, get in the truck" he told her with a roll of his eyes.

"Its fine, I'll find another way there. We'll probably see each other in a few days, a week tops" Clove shrugged. "You don't want to travel with a heartless killer."

Clove jumped at the sound of a door slamming. She turned her head to see Merle storming towards her. His expression was neutral, nothing was being given away but then, if you looked into his eyes, you could see the fire burning. He was beyond pissed, Daryl could see that from where he stood.

"Ya listen here and ya listen good: The woman was gonna die anyway and she woulda took us down with 'er. Her death was gonna be long and she would have been in a shit loada pain. That woman, if she knew what It woulda been like, would be thankin' ya right now" Merle snapped at her, pointing a finger at her chest in anger. "We're not angry at ya and we're not worried about ya; we trust ya Clo. We're shocked, that's what we are. If one of us done it, it woulda been fine but you?! We just never expected it. Never thought ya would have the balls. Now, put ya shit in back in the bed and get the fuck in the truck.

Clove stood there in shock, her eyes wide as she looked at him; she had never heard him talk so much. Merle was never the one for comforting words, it just wasn't his way. But alas, here he was, telling Clove that she wasn't a disappointment.

"Now!" Merle practically shouted when she didn't move.

Her cheeks aflame, Clove dropped her bag in the bed of the truck before climbing into the cab. She sat in the middle, the Dixon brothers taking their places on either side of her. After what had just happened, it was sort of as if they were making sure she couldn't jump out the door and leave them. Though Clove knew that if she had put up a real fight, they would have let her go.

Clove kept quiet for the rest of the drive, staring down at her lap and fidgeting with her knife. Merle and Daryl were no longer quiet and were instead arguing over which CD to listen too. It felt good to listen to them fighting childishly, though she wish they had been more vocal earlier on.

Clove still felt a little bit disappointed in herself but her heart had lifted a little at Merle's words. Though she knew herself that what she had done was right, she couldn't help but seek approval from the Dixon brothers.

"Would you guys stop fighting?" Clove requested, looking between the only two people she had left in the world. "Merle, drive,we're moving forwards now."

They'd finally made it near Atlanta and were now queued out on the highway. The trio could see the city in the distance, it had to be at least a good two miles away; the tall towers were just visible. The traffic seemed to go on forever and they were hardly moving.

Just then, as Merle put a disk into the CD player, the car in front backed up. The trio were slammed back in their seats, Merle and Daryl both throwing their arms out in front of Clove to protect her. She could hear the screams from the families in the cars ahead and they quickly got out of the truck.

They there were, at least fifteen walkers walking between the cars. They banged on the windows, their hungry mouths presses up against the glass as their peered inside. Clove covered her mouth with her hand as she watched a man be grabbed, two walkers sinking their teeth into his neck and leg.

People ran, pushing past others as they tried to escape the group. There was no point in running though, the walkers would only follow them. That was shown to be true as a couple of walkers stumbled after the fleeing families.

"We gotta take 'em out" Daryl said.

"There's no way we could outrun them" Clove agreed.

"Well then, lets show the children how to do this" Merle smirked.

Daryl instantly lifted his crossbow, pointing it straight ahead and shooting a bolt into a nearby walker. Merle just got an axe from the back of the truck, they had found it a while ago, and hit walker's in the head with it. Gripping her knives tightly between her fingers, Clove threw them towards the skulls of the walkers.

Another man seemed to get the idea and soon began shooting the walkers in the head. Clove only spared a two second glance at the police officer, understanding filling her. Of course he would know how to use such a weapon, thank god he wasn't an ammeter.

Clove looked off to the side and saw a dark haired woman and her son. The woman held tightly to her child as a pack of five walkers headed towards them. There was no time to call to the others, it was either them dying or Clove jumping between them.

Carl Grimes watched in amazement as a woman leaped down in front of him and his mom. Eye wide, he watched as she threw two small knives towards the approaching zombies and making two of them fall to the group. She grabbed a larger knife from her belt, backing up slightly. Carl watched as she kicked out at one of the zombies, knocking in back into another as she rushed forward to stab one in the head. She bounced on her toes, darting forward to put a zombie down while twirling and dancing to miss their grabbing hands.

The woman was breathing heavily by the time all the zombies were put down. She looked around the highway, making sure she couldn't see any more before turning to Carl and his mom. Carl had never thought a girl could be a superhero, never though the Black Widow was real. But if she was, this woman was her. This woman had single-handedly saved Carl and his mother from five zombies while Officer Shane Walsh was otherwise preoccupied.

"Ya'll alright?" The woman asked.

Carl and his mother nodded, staring at her in amazement.

"Good. I'm Clover by the way" She smiled, holding her hand out to Carl's mother.

And in that moment, Carl developed his very first crush.

**THE CRUSH IS VERY INNOCENT! Clove just saved his life like a superhero and Carl's just a kid, what do you expect?**

**Let me know what you think!**


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